Metal shearing machine



Filed Dec. 22. 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet l d. 1?. Targnam IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

July 9, 1941. A. E. TA NGREN METAL SHEARING MACHINE 22, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec.

INVENTOR.

42.1 7. Tdlyi ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE METAL SHEARING MACHINE Axel E. Tangren, El Segundo, Calif.

Application December 22, 1939, Serial No. 310,615

Claims.

This invention relates to a machine designed primarily for cutting sheet metal in different patterns, the construction of the machine being such as to speed up production by providing tools which can be brought quickly into operative po- 1 sition and all of which can be handled efficiently by one attendant.

In some industries, such as the aviation industry, construction work requires the use of many different shapes of sheet metal and the production of these has been an item of considerable expense due to the slow procedure which heretofore'has been necessary, because the parts have been produced either on separate machines equipped to produce parts of different shapes or else have necessitated loss of time because of the required change in tools and careful adjustments.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a single machine sets of tools for cooperation with a pneumatically operated shearing blade which, after initial adjustment, can be brought quickly into cooperating position for the purpose of producing an item of any predetermined design, simple and eflicient means being employed for quickly and securely holding the machine in position after each adjustment so as to insure efficient results.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

.In said drawings- 4 Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine.

Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof, some of the shearing standards being removed.

Figure 3 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the machine showing the means employed for raising and lowering the movable pneumatically operated shear.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section on line 55, Figure 4, a portion being shown in plan.

Figure 6 is a View partly in side elevation and partly in section, showing the table locking means.

. Figure .7is a front elevation of said table lockingmeans.

Figure 8 is a plan view of a portion of the-ta- .ble.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, I designates the main frame of the machine which is preferably C-shaped provided .at the front with a supporting standardor leg 2 while the back is straddled by and secured to an A-frame 3 providing rear supports or legs 4 which, cooperating with the leg 2, constitute means for holding the frame I firmly in an upstanding position when mounted on .a table or other suitable supporting surface. The open front of the frame is shaped to provide aishelf 5 located above'the leg '2 and this shelf provides a firm support for the forward portion of a cirrcular table Bhaving a central depending hub 1 adapted to transmit thrust to a bearing 8 carried by the lower portion of the frame, the table and bearing being held assembled bya stud J or the like whereby the table is held properly centered for rotation within the frame.

Located-on the table adjacent to its periphery and atdesired intervals are socket members Ill each-of which is-adapted to receive the lower end of a stationary gear or standard II which, when in proper position, can be held against displacement by a set screw I2.

Notches I3 are provided at the periphery of tableB along the radii extending from the center of table 6 through the centers of the respective socket members and each of these notches is adapted to be brought into position where it can be engagedby a portion of the locking mechanism provided for the table. A pair of openings His provided in the'table adjacent to each socket member, these openings being located at the opposite sides of the socket members. Notches I5 are formed in the top of the table at opposite sides-of each notch I3.

A crank shaft I6 is journalled in the front portion of the frame I below the shelf 5 and has eccentrics II secured to its ends and in the grooved periphery of each of which is seated a ring I8 at one end of a connecting arm I9. -The rings are held in engagement with the cams by means of face plates 20 which are bolted or otherwise detachably fastened to the cams, the attaching bolts being indicated at 2|.

Each of the arms I9 is pivotally connected, as at 22, to one end of a'locking pin 23. Two of these pinsare provided and they'are mounted to reciprocate within openings 24 provided'therefor in the shelf -5. These openings are adapted to register with the openings I4 when any one of the'stationary standards is brought tooperative .against the action of spring 36.

position. Thus by rotating the crank shaft |6 in one direction, the pins 23 can be simultaneously moved upwardly within their openings 24 so as to enter the openings l4 whereas, by rotating the shaft in the opposite direction, the pins will be completely withdrawn from the openings M.

The intermediate or offset portion of the crank shaft, which has been indicated at 25, has a locking arm 26 pivotally mounted thereon. The upper end of this arm is located where it can swing into any one of the notches l3 when the standard adjacent thereto is in operative position. Alined studs 2'! are extended in opposite directions from the upper end portion of the arm 26 and are located where they can be moved into and out of the recesses after the arm has been brought into position within one of the notches |3.

A bearing roller 28 is mounted on a pin .29 supported in the lower portion of the frame I under and close to the shelf 5 and this roller constitutes a stop for engagement by the arm 26. A spring 36 mounted in the frame exerts a constant thrust against the arm 26 so as tohold it pressed toward the roller 28.

That face of the arm 26 which engages the roller 28 is provided with a cam 3| forming an integral. part thereof and when the arm 26 is thrust upwardly from the position shown in Figure 6, this cam will ride against roller 28 and swing thelarm 25 outwardly away from the notch [3 in which it is seated.

A yoke 32 is secured to the end portions of the crank shaft It so as to rotate therewith and this yoke carries a handle 33 by means of which the crank shaft can be rotated. The intermediate .or crank portions of the shaft, indicated at 25,

vwardly, arm 26,is first thrust upwardly so as to bring its cam 3| against roller 28., Consequently the studs 2'! will be lifted out of the recesses I5 after which the arm 26 will be swung outwardly from the notch I3 in which it is seated and Immediately thereafter or while this operation is going on the pins 23 are beingdrawnrdownwardly from the openings l4 so that substantially simultaneously with the removal of arm 26 from notch I 3, pins 23 are withdrawn from the openings I4. Thus table 6 is released and cangbe quickly rotated about its center to bring another standard into operative position whereupon, by moving the handle 33 downwardly or by allowing said handle to drop by gravity, the pins 23 will move upwardly into the openings l4 alined therewith .while, at

,the same time, arm 26 will move downwardly,

thereby swinging first into the notch l3 in the path thereof and then pulling the studs 21 downwardly into recesses |5 whereby the table will be bound tightly on the shelf thereunder.

That end of the frame I which overhangs the shelf 5 has been indicated at 34 and is provided with a longitudinal slot 35. Said overhanging portion 34 has a fiat face 36 to which is bolted or otherwise attached a guide plate 3"! in which is formed a slot 38. A slide 39 is mounted between the surface 36 and the guide plate 31 and carries a rack 39' which is engaged by a toothed segment 45 concentric with the fulcrum 4| of a lever 42. This lever carries a pawl 43 which is pivotally mounted therein and is adapted to engage any one of a series of, ratchet teeth 44 carried by guide plate 31. The fulcrum 4| is a motor of the Buckeye-Desautter ;pneumatic shear type which is mounted for up and down sliding movement within the slot 35 and has a hose connection as indicated at 45. The cylinder of the tool has been indicated at 46 and has an integral tOIlgue 41 mounted for reciprocation with a slide 38 heretofore referred to. In this cylinder is mounted the usual piston on which the cylinder is adapted to reciprocate, this piston being indicated at 48.

A foot 49 is extended downwardly from the cylinder and has a recess 50 in one face in which a shearing blade 5| is adapted to be detachably and adjustably secured by means of bolts 52.

A slot 53 is formed in lever 42 and receives a clamping screw 54 from which is extended a handle 55. A releasing rod 56 is slidably mounted in the handle 51 of lever 42 and is connected at one end to pawl 43. This rod is normally pressed in one direction by a spring 58 so that the pawl is thus held normally pressed in engagement with .one of the ratchet teeth 44. By pushing on the outer end of the rod 56, however, the pawl can bedisengaged from the ratchet so as to allow the lever to be shifted about its fulcrum. By tightening the screw 54 the lever can be held in any position to which it may be adjusted.

The motor and the parts actuated thereby are all controlled by the usual solenoid and switch indicated generally at 59 and which constitutes in itself no part of the present invention but is of a well known type.

Asbefore stated this apparatus is for use in cutting sheet metal into various shapes, This requires the use of different kinds of shearing blades which, in turn, must be supported on standards of difierent shapes. Diiferent types of standards have been shown in Figures 1 and 2 and it is to be understood that standards of other shapes can be substituted in lieu of those shown at, l] in said figures. The stationary shearing blades, have beenindicated at 60 where they are fixedly attached to the upper ends of the standards'and these blades are adapted to cooperate with'the particular movable shearing blade employed and one of which has been illustrated at 5|. As a general rule one blade 5|can be used with all of the different types of stationary or lower shearing blades 60 but where changes are necessary they can be made easily simply by removing the .bolts 52' and substituting a new blade 5|.

The different shapes of standards employed are necessary primarily because of the contours of the plates to becut by the shearing blades.

After a standard ll of the proper shape has been brought into position above the shelf 5, the table is locked by the means-already described so that the blade 60 on said standard is thus in position below and ready for cooperation with the pneumatically operated blade 5|. The plate to be cut is then placed in proper position between the blades where it will be supported on the lower blade 60 at the point where the first cut is to be made. Thereafter the handle 57 is swung downwardly. Segment 40 will thus cooperate with rack 39 to move the operated motor downwardly relative to the guides 31 so that blade 5| will be brought into proper position relative to the blade 60 to efiect the necessary cutting operation. This action will cause the pawl to slip over the ratchet teeth 40 so; that the tool cannot shift upwardly accidentally and when the proper movement has been effected, arm 55 can be shifted to tighten the'screw 54 in the slot 53. The motor is then operated and the blade 5| will be caused to reciprocate at a high speed during which time the plate being cut can be shifted along the line where the cut is to be made. When a sheet of a different contour is to be cut and a new standard I l is required, it is merely necessary to unlock the table, quickly rotate it to bring the new standard into position and then relock it whereupon the tool is reset for further use.

It is to be understood that various changes may be made in the construction of this apparatus for the purpose of increasing its utility. For example, instead of providing a rotary table as shown, a fixed tab-1e could be mounted on the back of the frame and brought into position to support a standard above the shelf 5. Furthermore the pneumatically operated blade could be mounted on a yoke of small size which could be attached to the upper end portion of frame I,

this yoke carrying a fixed lower blade for coop-,

eration with the upper blade, and the entire supplemental yoke serving as an attachment for use in lieu of the guide plate 31 and the parts associated therewith. In another form standards could be so mounted as to swing into and out of operative position instead of being fixedly mounted in socket members as shown.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a frame having a shearing blade mounted for reciprocation, and a shelf, of a table mounted for rotation in the frame and overlying and slidably engaging the shelf, said table having peripheral notches, standards carried by the table and movable successively into position above the shelf, each of said standards constituting means for holding a shearing blade in position for cooperation with the reciprocating blade, and means for holding the table against movement relative to the frame, said means including an arm carried by the frame, means for raising and lowering the arm, cooperating means on the arm and frame for shifting the arm out of a notch when said arm is moved in one direction, and yielding means for pressing the arm into a notch when the arm is moved in the opposite direction.

2. In a machine of the class described the combination with a frame having a shelf, of a table mounted for rotation in the frame and overlying and having sliding engagement with the shelf, said table having spaced peripheral notches and stop recesses at the sides of each notch, standards supported by the table and each constituting means for holding a shearing blade, and means for locking the table to the shelf and binding it thereon, said means including a crank shaft, an arm carried by a portion of the shaft. projecting portions on the arm, yielding means for pressing the arm into a notch when brought into register therewith to position said projecting portions above the respective recesses, cooperating means on the frame and arm for shifting said arm out of engagement when said arm is moved in a direction to withdraw the projecting portions from the recesses, means for actuating the crank shaft to move the arm upwardly and downwardly relative to the table.

3. In a machine of the class described the combination with a frame having a shelf, of a table mounted for rotation in the frame and overlying and having sliding engagement with the shelf, said table having spaced peripheral notches and stop recesses at the sides of each notch, standards supported by the table and each constituting means for holding a shearing blade, and means for locking the table to the shelf and binding it thereon, said means including a crank shaft, an arm carried by a portion of the shaft, projecting portions on the arm, yielding means for pressing .the arm into a notch when brought into register therewith to position said projecting portions'above the respective recesses, cooperating means on the frame and arm for shifting said arm out of engagement when said arm is moved in a direction to withdraw the projecting portions from the recesses, means for actuating the crank shaft to move the arm upwardly and downwardly relative to the table, locking pins slidable within the shelf, there being apertures in the table movable into register with the pins, and means operated by the crank shaft during the release of the table from the arm, for

withdrawing the pins from the apertures in the table and, when moved in the opposite direction to engage the arm with the table, to project the pins into the table. a

4. The combination with a frame having a shearing blade mounted for reciprocation, and a shelf, of a table mounted for rotation in the frame and overlying and slidably engaging the shelf, standards carried by the table and movable successively into position above the shelf, each of said standards constituting means for holding a shearing blade in position for cooperation with the reciprocating blade, and means for holding the table against, movement relative to the frame, said means including an arm carried by the frame and normally engaging the table, means for raising and lowering the arm, cooperating means on the arm and frame for disengaging the arm from the table when said arm is moved in one direction, and yielding means for pressing the arm into engagement with the table when the arm is moved in the opposite direction.

5. In a machine of the class described the combination with a frame, a standard mounted therein, and a shearing blade on the standard, said frame having a portion positioned to overlie the standard, of a slide mounted for reciprocation on said overlying portion, a pneumatically operated shearing blade shiftable with the slide, a lever, means actuated by the lever for 

